Rangers and Brooks

Published: April 28, 2002

To the Sports Editor:

The former Ranger coach Mike Keenan was and is a taskmaster; Fred Shero was anything but a taskmaster (Mailbox, April 21). I played with, for, and served as assistant general manager for Fred when the Rangers made it to the Stanley Cup finals in 1979. During our 30-year friendship, I never heard him raise his voice, curse or even criticize a player or team. His genius was compassion for every player. His players felt it and knew it. They responded by playing passionately.

Passion is something the Rangers need now, especially with the roster they have. They don't need a taskmaster. They need a Herb Brooks. Herb was a taskmaster with the Miracle on Ice team. With the 2002 Olympic team, the best-coached team in the Olympics, he coached with compassion and understanding and the players responded by playing passionately for him. Fred Shero would have been proud of him.

What the Rangers don't need, and the fans shouldn't accept, is the ''trap.'' Boring. You can play the trap in Minnesota and maybe New Jersey, but not in the entertainment capital of the world. In New York, you have to win and you have to do it in style. If you don't, the fans in the blue seats will let you know.